Drake’s poor fortune
Given all the talk about Tomb Raider vs. Uncharted 4 last year I thought I’d go back and take a look at the original Uncharted. I’ve owned it for a long time but never got very far as the other games seemed more interesting. And going back to it now I have to say things have not got better. The game’s gun action is pretty awful, with nothing but bullet sponge enemies and a terrible camera.

Now I can understand the graphics looking not as good as they used to, so I won’t criticise that (although they are pretty bad now) but thanks to the camera the platforming’s not much fun either. I’m always grabbing onto the wrong vine or whatever and I swear it’s not my fault.

I didn’t even think much of the story and although Nate’s a nice guy the ‘twist’ kind of spoiled the atmosphere and frankly I’m almost surprised it got a sequel. I was looking forward to a HD remake of this trilogy, now I don’t think I’ll bother.St1nger

World’s biggest
Activision’s two big releases are out in a couple of months, Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and Skylanders: Trap Team. However, I was wondering, which franchise will rake in the most cash?

Initially you would expect it to be Call of Duty, but if you add up all the Skylanders extra figures, add-on packs, and loads of merchandise. I bet it’s a close run thing.Dark.Anima.X (gamertag/NNID/PSN ID)

GC: We’re not sure about profitability but in terms of sales Skylanders has been the biggest game franchise in the world for several years, rivalled only by Disney Infinity. Also, you’re forgetting Destiny, which is also Activision.

No blue skies
Really liking the sound of Bloodborne. My problem with Dark Souls wasn’t so much the difficultly but the slowness of everything and having to rely on the wiki to know what any of the items did. It sounds like Bloodborne avoids both these problems and has the bonus of going to the first games better map design.

I was going to say I wonder how From churn these games out but I guess this explains the mysterious switch in directors from the first game to the sequel. In that case carry on I say. You’d think they get tired of all the grim and gritty at some point, but if they’re happy to carry on then I’m happy to buy.

Very glad I decided to go with a PlayStation 4. Everything I’ve heard from Gamescom has justified that decision, in my eyes.Artie

Comparative success
With Super Smash Bros. winning the public vote at Gamescom and all these videos of queues to play it in America I wonder what the best case scenario is for the game in terms of sales. Obviously it’s going to be a huge hit relative to the popularity of the Wii U. But considering the Wii U is so unpopular, will it even make much of a mark in the charts?

It’s such a shame that Wii U messed up the console’s first year or so because it’s actually a really good console now, that I’d recommend to anyone. Now it’s just a story about how well games can do ‘for a Wii U game’ and whether the console’s going to be replaced before it ever gets a proper price cut.Gadfly

GC: Well, there are 7 million Wii Us in the world so that’s the best case scenario in terms of sales figures. Obviously that’s never going to happen, but a third of the userbase would normally be regarded as very good. Mario Kart 8 is already on around 3 million, so if Smash does that well Nintendo will consider it a great success – relatively speaking.

Wrong direction
Silent Hill fans might be all happy right about now but I’m getting really worried about Capcom and Resident Evil. I wasn’t convinced re-releasing the remake was a particularly good idea but went along with it because a) it’s really good and b) it’s proper, scary Resident Evil.

But a sequel to Revelations, that probably won’t even be on the 3DS? Did anyone ask for that? Don’t get me wrong the original is a good game, probably my favourite since Resident Evil 4. But that’s not a compliment, that’s just proof of how bad all the rest is.

Revelations is fine but it’s not a basis for moving on the franchise. I’m totally okay with the guys responsible, whoever they are, making the next game but it needs to be something new and probably a reboot. Don’t cheap out before you’ve even (re-)started Capcom!Pinky

Reboot everything
To be honest I actually like the idea of Hideo Kojima doing Gradius, or in fact just anything that isn’t Metal Gear Solid. I used to like the games but I think he’s kind of wasted a lot of his talent by sticking only with that game. I know a lot of that is to do with the fact that it’s also the only game of Konami’s that really sells anymore, but it’s still a shame.

There are so many great Japanese franchsies that are just gathering dust now. Capcom’s Mega Man and Dino Crisis, Namco’s Xevious and Galaga, Taito’s Bubble Bobble and Space Invaders. These games don’t have to be stuck as just retro sequels, it’s easy to imagine them as proper modern games with new graphics and gameplay.

If things like Elite and Mercenary can make a comeback then there should be hope for every retro game. You could argue that a new game is always best, but I’d rather have these games come back rather than just yet another Assassin’s Creed or Call Of Duty.Dee Day

GC: There is no new Mercenary game, unless you know something we don’t know.

The better half
I was talking with a friend about the state of Square Enix today and we both agreed that all their best stuff now came from Eidos, or what used to be Eidos. I’m not going to say anymore about Tomb Raider, but I’m really looking forward to the new Deus Ex and what I assume will be a new Just Cause and Hitman.

Thief was a bit of a flop, but it got us talking about what other games I’d like to see. Legacy Of Kain/Soul Reaver was the obvious one, but I guess we’ll have to wait until that new online game flops before they get round to that.

I’d totally be up for a new Fear Effect too, or a new Commandos that worked on a console. Eidos had a lot of great stuff and it’s both surprising and depressing that they couldn’t make a go of things. The last big British games publisher… now doing all the best stuff for a fallen Japanese star.Iceman

Unexplained enthusiasm
Well, I’m not getting too excited about another Alone In The Dark (like GC I bet it’s some low budget tablet game or something) but I’ll echo the thoughts of everyone else that this sudden return of survival horror is as welcome as it is unexplained. I’ve even tried to trace things back and work out what was going on.

A good game takes around three years to make so that puts us in 2011, when… nothing horror-related seems to have happened at all. The only actual survival horror that year was Dead Space 2, but it wasn’t any kind of massive hit and was already turning into an action game.

I thought it might have been seeing Resident Evil 6 being a flop but that was the next year. Then I thought maybe it was the success of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but that was the year before. I suppose that could still be factor but do companies really greenlight multi-million dollar retail games on the fact that a niche indie game did quite well?

I don’t understand it, I’m glad of it but I don’t understand it.Cranston

Inbox also-rans
Was The Division and Rainbow Six Siege not at Gamescom, GC? I don’t see any mention from anybody about them yet.Starling

GC: Not in the press area, no. Ubisoft were concentrating on the two Assassin’s Creeds, Far Cry 4, The Crew, and Toy Soldiers: War Chest.

So when will we get to see Jenkins asking questions on Newsnight?PazJohnMitch

This week’s Hot Topic
With the furore over Rise Of The Tomb Raider’s Xbox exclusivity still going on this weekend’s Inbox asks whether you’ve ever been convinced to buy a new console because of such a deal?

Have you ever bought a new console primarily because of an exclusive game suddenly switching sides or no longer being multiformat? Or because of exclusive content or a superior version? Did you resent buying the new console and did you feel it was worth it in the end? If you didn’t buy the required console did it change your opinion of the game and the publisher?

Will the exclusivity of Rise Of The Tomb Raider affect your decision to buy an Xbox One and if not what game/franchise would? Conversely, what game becoming a PlayStation 4 exclusive would make you buy one, if you haven’t already?